Andreas Peter Bernstorff

Bernstorff, Andreas Peter (ändrāˈäs pāˈtər bĕrnsˈtôrf) [key], 1735–97, Danish politician; nephew of Johann Hartwig Ernst Bernstorff. Made (1773) foreign minister after Struensee's fall from power, he obtained from Russia the final ratification of the exchange treaty negotiated by his uncle in 1767. Removed from office in 1780 to pacify Russia, he was recalled in 1784 and was chief minister until 1797. He sought friendly relations with Sweden, kept Denmark neutral in the French Revolutionary Wars, and undertook a liberal program of social, economic, and educational reform.